What Happens When a $3M Client Walks Into Your Office, and You’re Not Ready

A $3 million business owner just walked into your office. You’ve got five minutes—maybe less—to prove you’re worth their time.

Lead with market talk, and you’ve already lost.

Because here’s the truth: their biggest asset isn’t an ETF. It’s their business. And if you’re not ready to talk about it—the value, the growth potential, the succession roadmap—someone else is.

You Don’t Get a Second Shot

Business owners don’t need a crash course in portfolio theory. They need real answers to questions that actually matter to them:

• What’s my business worth today?
  
  
• What could it be worth in five years?
  
  
• How does this tie into my retirement, estate plan, and tax strategy?
  
  

If your answer is “we’ll figure that out later,” you’re done.

This Is Where Most Advisors Fail

Too many advisors default to traditional wealth frameworks. They start talking about IRAs, asset allocation, and tax-loss harvesting—while the biggest driver of their client’s wealth sits completely ignored.

It’s not just tone-deaf. It’s a missed opportunity.

And the worst part? That owner won’t say anything. They’ll smile, nod, and never come back.

Business Owners Are Operating on a Different Frequency

They’re scanning for relevance. For someone who gets what they’ve built—and what’s at stake.

They don’t want a generalist. They want a specialist who understands how business equity drives personal wealth. Someone who speaks their language. Someone who brings insight on day one.

That’s not just valuable. That’s unforgettable.

What Being Ready Actually Looks Like

It’s not a nicer office. It’s not a tighter pitch.

It’s coming to the table with tools, insights, and a framework built for business owners:

• You ask what their business is worth—and you have a plan to find out.
  
  
• You link business valuation to personal goals, family legacy, and future liquidity.
  
  
• You show how that number changes with every decision they make—from growth to exit.
  
  
• You don’t just talk about wealth. You talk about how they create it.
  
  

This Is the New Standard

interVal puts business valuation and owner readiness at the center of your client conversations. Automatically. Continuously. No guesswork. No spreadsheets. No waiting until “someday.”

With interVal, you show up prepared—every time a business owner walks through your door.

Here’s the Bottom Line

Business owners want guidance that reflects the full picture.

They’re looking for someone who can connect the dots between what their business is worth today and what it could unlock tomorrow.

Miss the mark, and that $3M client walks out and into the office of someone who does it better.

Hit the mark, and you become their inner circle—the advisor who actually gets them. The one they trust when the stakes get high and the numbers get real.

Advisors who are ready win. Those who aren’t? They get left behind.